Nederland’s Brown commits to Lamar baseball

It took Brett Brown less than 24 hours to commit to his hometown school.

The Nederland pitcher/infielder made his pledge to play for Lamar University Tuesday, one day after receiving a scholarship offer on an official visit to the school.

“When they offered me a full ride, there’s not much thinking about that,” Brown said. “When you’ve got a chance to go to college without your parents having to pay for it and you’ve worked so long for it, it was a pretty quick decision for me.”

Brown said Lamar first started showing interest after this past high school season ended. Scouts then attended three of Brown’s games with his summer ball team, the Southeast Texas Gladiators, before inviting him on an official visit.

“They saw me once and they said I did well,” Brown said. “They wanted to see if I could repeat it. That’s why, I guess, they (offered) me was because I had no problem repeating my success three times.”

Brown was a first-team All-District 20-4A selection as a first baseman and Nederland’s closer in 2011. He also pitched a one-hitter in a spot start against Barbers Hill in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Brown said Lamar wants him to pitch for the Cardinals. He added that getting a chance to play for longtime coach Jim Gilligan was a big factor in his decision.

“He seems like a great guy and is a great pitching coach,” Brown said of Gilligan. “He’s been around a long time and has got a real good knowledge of the game.”

Louisiana Tech, McNeese State and Louisiana-Lafayette also showed interest in Brown, but none of those schools made him a scholarship offer.

“No one ever talked to me and got down to business like Lamar did,” Brown said.